In the field of the preparation of cytostatic drugs, a machine is known comprising a magazine for a plurality of containers; a dosage station for the preparation of a pharmaceutical product obtained by mixing at least one cytostatic pharmaceutical compound and at least one diluent contained in corresponding containers; and a gripping and carrier device to transfer the containers between the magazine and the dosage station.
The apparatus generally comprises a box-type holding frame defining a first chamber, which houses the magazine therein, and is provided with an aperture to allow the operator to load and/or unload the magazine, and a second chamber, which houses the dosage station and the gripping and carrier device therein, is maintained in substantially sterile conditions, and is in communication with the first chamber in order to allow the gripping and carrier device to transfer the containers between the magazine and the dosage station.
The known machines of the above described type have some drawbacks mainly deriving from the fact that, when the first chamber is opened to allow the loading and/or unloading operations of the magazine, the first chamber is in communication with the external environment totally exposing the operator to risks correlated to the presence of the cytostatic drugs used in such machines and thus impairing the sterility of prepared pharmaceutical products.